Volume 21, Issue 2, Spring 2010

To the Editor: Re “A New Deal For Disaster: The ‘Hurricane of 1938’ and Federal Disaster Relief Operations” (vol. 20, 1-2)

This was my first time reading your fascinating magazine filled with stories about living on Long Island and written by well informed writers who obviously spent years researching their findings. The Fall/Spring issue (2007/2008) in particular contained a marvelous story of how the 1938 hurricane was handled. “A New Deal For Disaster,” written by Professor Bergman, was a brilliant dissertation on how the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration handled this potentially devastating hurricane. It’s almost as if the WPA, CCC, RFC departments were created on the spot to help Long Island residents through this tough time. It is also an excellent example of ‘Big Government’ doing the job they were elected to do. I would recommend this story to anyone who thinks government ‘interference’ is unwelcome. In this case, it was virtually heaven sent and kudos to Professor Bergman who obviously spent many years on this project. Time well spent.